Pickup trucks have long been used as work vehicles by tradesmen, such trucks generally being characterized by a cab and a rearward cargo area, called the bed, surrounded by three side walls and a rearward tailgate. The pickup truck is also becoming very popular as a sport vehicle, particularly the smaller size trucks which are primarily meant to be stylish, and only occasionally are actually used to carry substantial loads. Many pickup trucks are dual-use, serving both as a sport and a work vehicle.
Utility racks are commonly installed over the bed of pickup trucks to enable the truck to carry and transport articles which do not fit in, or cannot be secured to, the bed of the truck. Such articles include tools and equipment for tradesmen such as ladders, pipe, lumber, and steel, as well as articles and objects used by sportsmen such as boats and canoes. Such racks allow the articles to be carried above, and extend over, the cab of the pickup truck without risk of damage to the articles or the truck.
Generally such utility racks installed on pickup trucks and similar vehicles are of rigid steel construction and comprise at least four vertical support members which attach in some fashion to the bed of the truck at or near the corners. Attached to the vertical support members at a height above the cab of the truck are a plurality of horizontal support members, with at least two such horizontal members located transversely across the bed of the truck. Examples of such racks are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,787 to Knaack, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,020 to Brown et al. While such racks are functional for their intended purposes, they are generally heavy, difficult to remove, and prohibit access to the bed for objects, such as refrigerators, which are too tall to fit under the horizontal support members. Such racks also detract from the appearance of pickup trucks, particularly small or stylish trucks which are primarily used for sport, and only occassionally have a need to carry oversized objects. Collapsible and folding racks are known in the art as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,131 to Flourney, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,628 to Halberg. The rack taught by Flourney allows for collapsing the rack to gain access to the truck bed, but it is still a rather complicated construction, with many moving parts, and is unsightly both in the full open and collapsed positions. The Halberg invention, while approaching the simplicity and functionality desired for sport and dual-use trucks, is still rather cumbersome, generally requiring cables which are prone to stretching and kinking, and become ungainly and a snag-hazard in the closed position. The Halberg invention also occupies valuable cargo space in the bed of pickup trucks and the like.
There is a continuing unaddressed need for a simple, easy to use folding utility rack which is aesthetically pleasing when not in use, and allows for unrestricted access to the area of the bed of vehicles such as pickup trucks and the like.